October 30, 2006

We're number 53! (Worse than Mozambique)

Yes, that's right--the US is now ranked at number 53 in the world, along with Botswana, Croatia, and Tonga, when it comes to freedom of the press.

The press is freer in Mozambique than it is in the United
States, according to the latest Worldwide Press Freedom Index,
published by the Paris-based press freedom body, Reporters sans
Frontieres (RSF - Reporters without Borders).

The RSF index gives each country a score, based on the degree of freedom for journalists and media organisations. . . .

But
the United States has been falling steadily. In the first year the
index was published it was in 17th position. Last year the US was in
44th position, and this year it is ranked as number 53 alongside
Botswana, Croatia and Tonga.

RSF explains that this decline
arises from the deterioration in relations between the Bush
administration and the media "after the President used the pretext of
"national security" to regard as suspicious any journalist who
questioned his "war on terrorism".

RSF also points out that US
federal courts refuse to recognise journalists' cherished right not to
reveal their sources. This includes "even threatens journalists whose
investigations have no connection at all with terrorism."

RSF
notes, in particular, the cases of freelance journalist Josh Wolf,
imprisoned by the US authorities when he refused to hand over his video
archive; of Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj held without trial at the US
military base of Guantanamo since June 2002; and of an Associated Press
photographer, Bilal Hussein, held by the US in Iraq since April this
year.

Let me remind you that we have heard calls for charges of treason against the New York Times and its reporters for publishing facts that the Bush administration finds inconvenient, and that, for the first time ever, the Justice Department (make that "Justice") is mulling over the possible use of the Espionage Act against journalists.

Yes, it's come to this. We're jailing people for telling the truth, because that truth casts the Emperor in a bad light.

Remember, under the recently passed Military Commissions Act, Bush has the power to call anybody he wants an "unlawful enemy combatant" and to arrest and detain said combatant forever, with no charges being brought and no right to legal representation, cut off from all help and subject to torture. Does anyone doubt that such power can be brought to bear against journalists? Um, make that, does anyone doubt that such power has already been brought to bear? We know it has.

According to CPJ, at least eight journalists have
been detained for weeks or months by Iraqi and coalition forces. They
include employees of CBS News, Reuters, the AP and Agence France-Presse
among others. At least four of the detentions have exceeded 100 days, Campagna said.

Freedom of the press is crucial to maintaining any semblance of a democracy. I'd say that here in the US, we've lost any claim to being one. Just as horrifying is the fact that the media have been willing, even eager, to surrender their independence and become, instead, propagandists. They barely protest when their own reporters and photographers are threatened or detained.